Keller Williams NYC’s Eric Barron is no longer CEO of the residential brokerage, The Real Deal has learned.
His departure, after four years at the helm of the growing franchise, was announced in a memo circulated within the company on Wednesday.
“Keller Williams is a great company with great people,” Barron told TRD Thursday. “It was a wonderful four years together and I wish them nothing but the best. I’m looking forward to my next entrepreneurial adventure.”
Keller Williams confirmed the move on Thursday afternoon. “We are very appreciative of Eric for his efforts, success and leadership over the last three years. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” the firm said in a statement.
Keller Williams’ management roster now includes operating principal Haim Binstock, co-founder and owner of the brokerage with Ilan Bracha. Binstock and Bracha, who is one of Keller Williams’ top sales agents, are also partners in B+B Investment Group, which owns, develops and manages residential and mixed-use real estate.
Anthony DeGrotta, a former principal at troubled brokerage the Bellmarc Group – is also in the C-suite as chief operating officer. He joined Keller Williams with Larry Friedman in December, after settling a lawsuit with former business partner and Bellmarc co-founder Neil Binder.
As for Barron, the longtime mortgage executive joined Keller Williams several months after the Austin-based brokerage entered the New York City market in 2011. He took over for founding CEO Adina Azarian.
After struggling to gain traction in the market early on, Keller Williams has been in expansion mode recently.
The brokerage ranked No. 7 on TRD’s annual ranking of top firms, based on data from On-Line Residential as of March 29. The firm had roughly 535 agents, up 56 percent year over year. Listings were also up 51 percent and topped $109 million, according to TRD’s analysis.
This spring, Keller Williams NYC said it would open a new office at 377-379 Broadway in Tribeca that would hold as many as 200 agents. It recently relocated its headquarters to Durst’s 1155 Sixth Avenue from 425 Park Avenue, where L&L Holding Company is planning a 47-story glass tower.
Last year, Keller Williams acquired boutique brokerage CitySites, which had 40 agents. Barron told TRD at the time that the deal was part of a two-year expansion plan for the firm.
Globally, Keller Williams has more than 110,000 agents across 14 countries.
Barron declined to share details of his next move, but he’ll be focusing on a new venture known as Barron Realty Partners, according to his LinkedIn profile.